ISLAMABAD: Health workers administered polio vaccine drops to more than 44.3 million children over the past six days, officials said, as the country’s latest nationwide anti-polio drive ended on Sunday. The seven-day campaign, launched on December 15, targeted children under the age of five and is being carried out simultaneously in Pakistan and Afghanistan, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), which coordinates polio eradication efforts. Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries where wild poliovirus transmission has never been interrupted, posing a continued threat to global eradication efforts. Polio, a highly infectious disease that can cause irreversible paralysis, has no cure and can only be prevented through repeated oral vaccination. “Today (Sunday) marks the final day of the last national polio campaign of 2025,” the NEOC said in a statement. “In six days, over 44.3 million children have been vaccinated.” According to official figures, around 22.9 million children were vaccinated in Punjab, more than 10.4 million in Sindh, 7.1 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and about 2.54 million in Balochistan. In Islamabad, more than 450,000 children received polio drops, while over 274,000 children were vaccinated in Gilgit-Baltistan. In Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the number stood at over 714,000, the NEOC said. Pakistan has reported 30 polio cases so far this year. The country recorded 74 cases in 2024, a significant increase from six cases in 2023, highlighting setbacks attributed to vaccine hesitancy, misinformation and difficulties in accessing high-risk areas. Officials said security concerns continue to hinder vaccination efforts, as polio workers and their security personnel have repeatedly come under attack, particularly in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Natural disasters, including floods, have also disrupted campaigns in recent years. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025